Thursday, December 30, 2004

Project Update :: Urur Kuppam (Lakshmi)

Dear All,

Started school at 9am with 120 of the 750 attending school. Namita and the IIT volunteers started the survey of the affected children around 10.30 am. Anil if IIT started computerizing earlier data as also data as it was being collected.

Around 11.30 am the people of the Urur Kuppam came rushing into school as the Television streamers put people on alert on a possible Tsunami in about an hour. We handed over the younger children in the school to their parents and the older children helped in the relief work.

The people have stayed overnight, as there were alerts on possible Tsunami after nightfall. Our efforts to getting back to normalcy took a small set back.

To start with, we have got the details of 20 families of tenants, 19 in the Urur Kuppam and one from the Odaikuppam futher down the beach for rehab. We have asked them to look for accommodation and we would start our support on the Project Support –a – family SAF

Seattle volunteer Sairam is right into the relief work in the area of medical needs. Phoenix volunteer Muralidhar Mukund is pitching in with his energy. More people are coming in.

For Nemilikuppam and new Nemili kuppam 131+62 families (Sandhya Sunder) we have been able to organize dry ration of support for I week. This will be\r\n delivered on Monday as per our plan.

We have been requested for support from “ Reach Out” at Kalakshetra colony for clothes and we have been able to help.

Sumitra Gautama of The School KFI is coordinating a huge collecting, sorting and distribution network from her residence. She has a very large network of NGO contacts in different parts of the city and state. Yesterday 2 trucks with clothes and some utensils and some medicines have gone to a relief center in Nagapattinam. School children and young people are helping in this sorting effort for almost 12 hours of the day. This morning’s agenda is the finalization of the Urur Kuppam family lists- 200 odd families to remove duplication and ensure all the huts in the map have been covered. The focus is to get all the details in order so work can start full swing. Volunteers from IIT Madras are available for support for the\r\none to one activities and for data collection.

For Nemilikuppam and new Nemili kuppam 131+62 families (Sandhya Sunder) we have been able to organize dry ration of support for I week. This will be delivered on Monday as per our plan.

We have been requested for support from “ Reach Out” at Kalakshetra colony for clothes and we have been able to help.

Sumitra Gautama of The School KFI is coordinating a huge collecting, sorting and distribution network from her residence. She has a very large network of NGO contacts in different parts of the city and state. Yesterday 2 trucks with clothes and some utensils and some medicines have gone to a relief center in Nagapattinam. School children and young people are helping in this sorting effort for almost 12 hours of the day.

This morning’s agenda is the finalization of the Urur Kuppam family lists- 200 odd families to remove duplication and ensure all the huts in the map have been covered. The focus is to get all the details in order so work can start full swing. Volunteers from IIT Madras are available for support for the one to one activities and for data collection